biography

Janette Scott Born December 14, 1938 in Morecambe, England, actress Janette Scott is the daughter of actors Jimmy Scott and Thora Hird. Scott began her acting career at age three in the war film Went the Day Well? (1942; with Leslie Banks) in a small role. As a child she continued making film appearances and was also on radio. By the time she was a teenager, her film roles became more prominent in No Highway in the Sky (1951; with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich) and Edge of Divorce (1953; with Valerie Hobson). When she became an adult, Scott moved on to starring roles in the thriller Now and Forever (1956), the musical comedy The Lady Is a Square (1959; with Frankie Vaughan), and the comedy The Devil's Disciple (1959; with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Laurence Olivier). In 1959, Scott married Canadian singer and TV host Jackie Rae. Early in their marriage, the couple recorded several singles and an album but without chart success. The couple divorced in 1965. She then married singer Mel Torme in 1966.

Janette ScottJackie Ray and Janette ScottJanette Scott and Mel Torme

LEFT: Mid 1960s bikini photo. CENTER: With first husband, singer Jackie Rae. RIGHT: With second husband, singer Mel Torme, at the time of their 1966 wedding

Perhaps Scott's best film is the science fiction flick The Day of the Triffids (1962; with Howard Keel and Kieron Moore) and is the film she's best remembered for today. Ordinarily a brunette, Scott dyed her hair blonde for her role in The Beauty Jungle (1964) to take on a sort of sexbomb persona for the film. Following the release of Crack in the World (1965; with Dana Andrews and Kieron Moore), she went back to being a brunette.

the films of janette scott

Now and Forever (1956)

Janette Scott

One of Janette Scott's first starring roles came in the thriller Now and Forever

The Good Companions (1957)

Janette Scott and John Fraser

From the Associated British-Pathé musical romance The Good Companions with John Fraser

The Devil's Disciple (1959)

Janette ScottKirk Douglas and Janette Scott

LEFT: Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton helmed the production of the historical comedy The Devil's Disciple. RIGHT: With star Kirk Douglas

The Lady is a Square (1959)

Janette Scott and Frankie Vaughan

With British singer Frankie Vaughan in the musical comedy The Lady is a Square

School for Scoundrels (1960)

Ian Carmichael, Janette Scott, and Terry-Thomas

From the Warner Bros. comedy School for Scoundrels with Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas

Double Bunk (1961)

Janette Scott

Scott stars in the British comedy Double Bunk

The Old Dark House (1963)

Tom Poston, Janette Scott, and Fenella Fielding

From William Castle's horror comedy The Old Dark House with Tom Poston and Fenella Fielding

Paranoiac (1963)

Janette Scott and Alexander DavionJanette Scott and Alexander Davion

With Alexander Davion in the Hammer horror flick Paranoiac, directed by Freddie Francis

The Beauty Jungle (1964)

Janette ScottEdmund Purdom and Janette ScottIan Hendry and Janette Scott

LEFT: Scott stars as a beauty contest winner in the Rank Organisation drama The Beauty Jungle. This film was titled Contest Girl when it was released in the U.S. in 1966. CENTER: With co-star Edmund Purdom. LEFT: Ian Hendry, as Scott's manager, falls in love with her

Crack in the World (1965)

Kieron Moore, Dana Andrews, and Janette ScottJanette Scott and Kieron MooreJanette Scott and Kieron Moore

From the entertaining science fiction effort Crack in the World. LEFT: With Kieron Moore and Dana Andrews. CENTER and RIGHT: With frequent costar Kieron Moore

janette scott today

After wrapping up production on the comedy Bikini Paradise (1967; with Kieron Moore), Janette Scott married singer and actor Mel Torme. She gave up her acting career, instead spending time raising their two children, Daisy and James. With the release of the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975; with Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon), Scott became immortalized in the song Science Fiction/Double Feature, the opening theme song for the film. Following Scott's 1977 divorce from Torme, she married William Rademaekers. While Scott remains retired from acting, she did make an appearance in the romantic comedy How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008; with Simon Pegg and Gillian Anderson) as Simon Pegg's mother.

filmography

FILM
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) with Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, and Gillian Anderson
Bikini Paradise (1967) with Kieron Moore
Crack in the World (1965) with Kieron Moore and Dana Andrews
The Beauty Jungle (1964) with Ian Hendry and Edmund Purdom
The Old Dark House (1963) with Tom Poston and Robert Morley; directed by William Castle
Siege of the Saxons (1963) with Ronald Lewis
Paranoiac (1963) with Oliver Reed, Maurice Denham, and Alexander Davion
The Day of the Triffids (1963) Kieron Moore, Howard Keel, and Nicole Maurey
Two and Two Make Six (1962) with George Chakiris and Jocelyn Lane
Double Bunk (1961) with Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price
His and Hers (1961) with Terry-Thomas, Wilfrid Hyde-White, and Nicole Maurey
School for Scoundrels (1960) with Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Dennis Price
The Devil's Disciple (1959) with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Laurence Olivier
The Lady Is a Square (1959) with Anna Neagle, Frankie Vaughan, Anthony Newley, and Wilfrid Hyde-White
Happy Is the Bride (1958) with Ian Carmichael, Cecil Parker, and Terry-Thomas
The Good Companions (1957) with Eric Portman, Celia Johnson, and Hugh Griffith
Now and Forever (1956) with Kay Walsh
Helen of Troy (1956) with Rossana Podesta, Jacques Sernas, Cedric Hardwicke, and Brigitte Bardot
As Long as They're Happy (1955) with Jack Buchanan, Jeannie Carson, Diana Dors, and Hugh McDermott
Edge of Divorce (1953) with Valerie Hobson and Philip Friend
The Magic Box (1951) with Richard Attenborough, Robert Beatty, and Robert Donat
No Highway in the Sky (1951) with James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, and Jack Hawkins
The Galloping Major (1951) with Basil Radford and Hugh Griffith
No Place for Jennifer (1950) with Leo Genn

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Burke's Law, episode Password to Death, originally aired October 6, 1965
BBC Sunday-Night Play, episode Twentieth Century Theatre: The Queen Came By, originally aired April 17, 1960
Armchair Theatre, episode A Man's Woman, originally aired March 23, 1958
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre, episode The Girl at the Next Table, originally aired August 10, 1957

janette scott trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Janette Scott's 1963 comedy/horror film The Old Dark House

janette scott film now showing

Watch Janette Scott's 1963 science fiction thriller Day of the Triffids
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This page premiered November 7, 2012.
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